Schools’ Milo U-20 Football Tournament starts tomorrow

Organisers of the Schools’ Milo Under-20 Football Tournament (sitting) pose with students yesterday.

Representatives of most of the schools scheduled to participate in the Milo Under-20 Football Tournament which is being organised by Petra Organisation were in attendance for a briefing, at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue yesterday.
The schools representatives were read the rules that will govern the competition in addition to being given the opportunity to make queries about any issue (s) that they felt needed clarification.
Among those in attendance at the occasion were Nestle Brand Manager Selwyn Bobb, Petra Organisation Directors Troy Mendonca and Marlan Cole, members Angeline Dyer-McCarthy, Mark Alleyne and Onica Brammer, Ministry of Health Gender-based Violence Co-ordinator Joy Gravesande and Referees Co-ordinator Wayne Griffith.
Mendonca in his opening remarks spoke about the genesis of the idea which he revealed was to regain the high standard of football that fans had grown accustomed to seeing at the youth level within the Georgetown environ.
“Persons have consistently been asking the reason for the decline in the standard of play among the players in Georgetown as witnessed during the Digicel Competition and we in the Petra Organisation believe that one of the ways to recapture that past glory is to ensure that the game is reintroduced in schools,” Mendonca stated.
Mendonca said the Organisation approached Beepat’s who’re the agents for Milo and after consultations decided to direct some of the resources into staging a tournament for schools in the Georgetown District.
He noted that a number of schools will not be properly equipped in time for the start of competition this Saturday, but reminded that this event is just the beginning of a programme that will be sustained and the real benefits seen down the road.
Bobb in his remarks stated how eager the Company was to see the commencement of competition and wished all the teams well, while urging them to play fairly and exhibit good discipline during the games.
Granesande spoke of how happy the Minsitry is to partner with the tournament and offered her organisation’s assistance to any school wishing to participate in sessions related to gender violence which according to her is a learned behaviour and could be curbed through counseling.
The top four schools will be rewarded with prizes ranging from $200,000 for the winners, runners-up-$100,000, 3rd place-$50,000 and 4th place-$25,000 along with trophies and medals.
The prizes will come in the form of a project choice which is to benefit the school, while the most outstanding players will also receive prizes.
The competition which starts on Saturday (tomorrow) with three matches planned will run on a round-robin basis in the preliminary stages with the top two teams from the six groups along with the six third placed teams going forward to the knockout phase.
Twenty four teams have been confirmed to participate in the competition and the matches slated for tomorrow are Charlestown versus North Georgetown; Christ Church vs. Ascension and Tucville vs. St. John’s College. Kick off time is 12:00 hrs.